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Relationism vs. positional play
One of the most defining aspects of a tactic is its fluidity. Different tactics throughout history have dominated with varying levels of fluidity which regards the positions players are allowed to occupy on a pitch. Total football, for example, heavily emphasized a high level of positional fluidity, encouraging all players to occupy different positions throughout the game whenever the situation called for it. Such a philosophy relied heavily on both the adaptability and creativity of the players and was able to be used to great effect. On the other hand, other tactics like the defensively-minded Catenaccio formation had a rigid structure in which each player had a defined role and position that they were supposed to fulfill throughout the entirety of the match. These varying ideas about fluidity have developed into the modern philosophies of relationism and positional play.

Positional Play
Positional play in football is a tactical philosophy that prioritizes a high level of structure and organization regarding the formation of the team. Players are each given a clearly role which they must follow, serving as a cog in the wheel of the entire team. Such an approach sacrifices some of the creative capacities of the players, forcing them into defined roles that restrict the space they are allowed to occupy on the pitch. Such a philosophy allows managers to have a high level of control over how their team plays, resulting in the gameplay of a team being much more organized and predictable. This makes a team's success heavily dependent on the tactics of the coach to find success, as the team moves and behaves in ways planned and instructed by the manager. This philosophy has been used to great effect in history, one example being Pep Guardiola's aforementioned FC Barcelona side.

Relationism
Relationism or "Functional Play" is a philosophy that prioritizes fluidity with regards to the structure of players on the pitch. This philosophy, being based on Total Football, emphasizes individual creativity and the adaptability of the players, giving them the credence to move around the pitch in unpredictable ways. Players are not relegated to specific zones on the pitch within which to play but rather are instructed that they must fill any positional gaps left by the movement of their teammates. Relationist teams do have a formation or structure, however, the team is unconcerned with which of its players are occupying a given position, allowing for players to rotate between different areas of the pitch and create new offensive and defensive patterns. Such a philosophy relies heavily on the individual expression of the players rather than rigid instructions given by the manager. Such principles have also been used to great effect, with one example being Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid, who won both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in the 2023/2024 season.

The recent prevalence of positional play
Whilst there will always be teams that utilize each above philosophies, during a given period, one tends to prevail over the other. Examples of this are the 50s and 60s in which defensively minded positional play tactics dominated the highest level of football, which contrasts with the 70s in which highly fluid relationist tactics dominated. Recently, the top level of the sport has mostly been defined by positional play.

Manchester City - 2020-2024
The recent dominance of positional play can best be exemplified by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. Manchester City has become the first team in Premier League history to win the Premier League title four years in a row, additionally winning one UEFA Champions League, one FA Cup, one Carabao Cup, one UEFA Supercup, and one FIFA Club World Cup, accomplishing this through Guardiola's system of positional play. His side lines up on paper as a 4-2-3-1, however, one of the center backs typically shifts into the midfield, allowing another holding midfielder to move forward, changing the formation to a 3-2-4-1. By bringing this extra player forward in possession, the team can open up new passing angles with which they can position the ball up the pitch utilizing Guardiola's favored style of Tiki-Taka football. In this system, Guardiola assigns set positions for his players to occupy, and teaches them all the different movements and passing sequences they can utilize within these positions. In combination with his Tiki-Taka style of play, his side is able to progress the ball up the pitch as a singular unit, using predetermined passing patterns. Each player has defined roles they must fill, and preset rotations and movements that they must memorize as to remove any unnecessary thought or decision-making from the player within the game.

Bayern Munich - 2019/2020
In the 2019/2020 season, under the management of Hansi Flick, FC Bayern Munich was highly dominant both on the domestic and international stage, completing a treble by winning the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga, and the DFB-Pokal. Flick accomplished this through a unique application of positional play. Flick's side utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that heavily focused on building play out from the back while maintaining possession. The team accomplished this by utilizing set attacking structures, including the forward movement of the fullbacks and the dropping deep of the holding midfielder, in order to create width, and provide passing options, all while maintaining a strong formational structure. Additionally, out of possession, the team utilized an aggressive high press in which they would put pressure on the ball while under opposition possession in order to force a mistake and regain possession of the ball in an advanced portion of the pitch. A feature of this high press is that defensively players are each tasked with putting pressure on specific sections of the pitch, restricting their rotation between one another.

Development of modern relationism
Despite the recent dominance of positional play, many smaller sides have begun to utilize relationist philosophies in order to achieve unexpected levels of success.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen - 2023/2024
One such example was the historic 2023/2024 season of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Under the coaching of Xabi Alonso the club, which was established in 1904, managed to win their first-ever Bundesliga title, becoming the first team to ever go undefeated in the Bundesliga and additionally winning the DFB-Pokal, and making it to the final of the Europa League, with their only loss of the season being in said final versus Atalanta BC. In order to make this happen, Xabi Alonso utilized a 3-4-2-1 formation that featured two highly aggressive wing-backs who provided width in possession and dropped back into a fullback role on defense, leaving the team to line up out of possession in a 5-3-2 or 5-2-2-1. Bayer 04 Leverkusen utilizes relationism in possession when their formation resembles more of a 4-2-3-1, with holding midfielders being encouraged to fall back into the defensive line and the center-backs and left wing-backs being encouraged to move up the pitch and find space. Additionally, when playing out of defense, players often come deep and offer short passing options, creating positional overloads to help rotate possession and navigate any pressure from the opposition's press.

Bologna FC 1909 - 2023/2024
In the 2023/2024 season, under the management of Thiago Motta, Bologna FC 1909 managed to place 5th in the Serie A, securing themselves a Champions League Group Stage spot for the first time in the club's history since 1964. Motta formulated his side in what he famously calls a 2-7-2 formation, however, Motta refers to these numbers as occupying vertical channels of the pitch as opposed to how formations are usually numbered. The side's base formation is actually a 4-3-3 in which there are 2 players on each wing and 6 outfield players in the middle channel of the pitch. Motta's side also utilizes relationist philosophies, encouraging the striker to drop into the midfield often to help overload the midfield, and encouraging players such as the wingers and fullbacks to rotate with one another in possession in order to drag the opposition out of position and create space behind the lines. Motta additionally encouraged rotation between his center-backs and holding midfielders in order to accomplish the same goal of creating space.